Read Online The Season of the Hyaena (Ancient Egyptian Mysteries) by Paul Doherty - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Paul Doherty
Ads: Link
other precious rubies for sale in the markets in Eastern Thebes.’
‘I am sure there are.’
Ankhesenamun sat down on a chair. ‘Mahu, I am thirsty. Pour us each a goblet of Carian wine and come and sit close to me.’ She gestured to a footstool. ‘We are allies, not enemies. Father trusted you, that’s why he made you guardian of his son.’
I filled the goblets, came back and sat on the footstool, staring up. You are Nefertiti’s daughter, I thought, if not in looks then certainly in soul. As if she could read my mind, Ankhesenamun tweaked the end of my nose, a favourite gesture of her mother.
‘I thought you’d come, Mahu. You’ve been back in Thebes only a few months. I could not search you out but had to wait for you to approach me. So, I shall tell you the truth.’ She grinned. ‘Or at least part of the truth. I am with you and the Prince, not with my grandfather. He nurses ambitions, you know, Mahu.’ She chuckled at my look of puzzlement. ‘As long as Tutankhamun lives,’ she whispered, ‘Ay, Horemheb and all the rest of the hyaenas are kept in check. But if my half-brother dies, to whom does the double crown go?’
‘You could rule as Queen,’ I replied. ‘It would not be the first time.’
‘But who would support me, Mahu? Grandfather? Horemheb?’
‘Hatchesphut ruled alone.’
‘History!’ Ankhesenamun snapped. ‘And she married her half-brother so there was always a male heir. Between me and the darkness, Mahu, there’s nothing.’
‘So, Ay dreams of becoming Pharaoh?’ I laughed. ‘It’s not inconceivable.’
‘But so do others, Mahu! Horemheb claims to be a royal bastard, of the blood of Amenhotep the Magnificent. And why stop there? What about General Rameses? Or even Huy, Maya … ?’
‘No,’ I replied, shaking my head.
‘Or even Meryre? That’s why they are all united against this usurper. Enough contestants for the crown imperial reside at court without pretenders in the north.’
‘Meryre?’ I scoffed.
‘He sees himself as High Priest of the Aten, the spiritual successor of my father, but he is corrupt and sanctimonious.’ She leaned closer, her lips only a few inches from my cheek. ‘Did you know our High Priest invites me to his supper banquets? In his cups he admitted he would love to see me and Amedeta couple together on a bed. A vile man, Mahu, of bounding ambition, without the talent to match. This trouble in the Delta, I suspect Meryre has a hand in it, whatever he says! In his cups he is silly and clucks like a chicken. But sober, Meryre is as dangerous and as threatening as the rest. What if, Mahu,’ she drew back, ‘Meryre and the Atenists use this usurper to sweep the board clean of all of you, Horemheb, Rameses and the other Children of the Kap? How long do you think little Tutankhamun will survive, or myself?’ She smiled thinly. ‘Though Meryre has ambitions in that quarter: marriage to me when he proclaims himself Pharaoh of Egypt.’
‘No.’ I shook my head in disbelief. ‘I have spies in Eastern and Western Thebes; Sobeck and Djarka sift the gossip like wheat from chaff.’
‘Do you think Meryre is going to tell anyone?’ Ankhesenamun laughed. ‘Do you know the whereabouts of all my father’s treasures?’ She rose and walked across the room, keeping her back to me as she took off the shawl and donned a sleeveless shift. Then, rewrapping the shawl, she came back and sipped from her wine cup.
‘How do you know all this, Highness?’
‘Because Meryre thinks I’m his ally.’
‘And why should he think that?’
‘Because I told him that the Shabtis of Akenhaten are a sect of assassins controlled by you.’
‘What?’ I moved so violently the wine in my cup slopped over. The cheetah scrambled to his feet but Ankhesenamun turned and cooed softly in his direction. The great cat stretched, amber eyes glowing at me, before sprawling back on the floor.
‘Listen to me, listen to me,’ she urged. ‘The Shabtis of Akenhaten
‘I am sure there are.’
Ankhesenamun sat down on a chair. ‘Mahu, I am thirsty. Pour us each a goblet of Carian wine and come and sit close to me.’ She gestured to a footstool. ‘We are allies, not enemies. Father trusted you, that’s why he made you guardian of his son.’
I filled the goblets, came back and sat on the footstool, staring up. You are Nefertiti’s daughter, I thought, if not in looks then certainly in soul. As if she could read my mind, Ankhesenamun tweaked the end of my nose, a favourite gesture of her mother.
‘I thought you’d come, Mahu. You’ve been back in Thebes only a few months. I could not search you out but had to wait for you to approach me. So, I shall tell you the truth.’ She grinned. ‘Or at least part of the truth. I am with you and the Prince, not with my grandfather. He nurses ambitions, you know, Mahu.’ She chuckled at my look of puzzlement. ‘As long as Tutankhamun lives,’ she whispered, ‘Ay, Horemheb and all the rest of the hyaenas are kept in check. But if my half-brother dies, to whom does the double crown go?’
‘You could rule as Queen,’ I replied. ‘It would not be the first time.’
‘But who would support me, Mahu? Grandfather? Horemheb?’
‘Hatchesphut ruled alone.’
‘History!’ Ankhesenamun snapped. ‘And she married her half-brother so there was always a male heir. Between me and the darkness, Mahu, there’s nothing.’
‘So, Ay dreams of becoming Pharaoh?’ I laughed. ‘It’s not inconceivable.’
‘But so do others, Mahu! Horemheb claims to be a royal bastard, of the blood of Amenhotep the Magnificent. And why stop there? What about General Rameses? Or even Huy, Maya … ?’
‘No,’ I replied, shaking my head.
‘Or even Meryre? That’s why they are all united against this usurper. Enough contestants for the crown imperial reside at court without pretenders in the north.’
‘Meryre?’ I scoffed.
‘He sees himself as High Priest of the Aten, the spiritual successor of my father, but he is corrupt and sanctimonious.’ She leaned closer, her lips only a few inches from my cheek. ‘Did you know our High Priest invites me to his supper banquets? In his cups he admitted he would love to see me and Amedeta couple together on a bed. A vile man, Mahu, of bounding ambition, without the talent to match. This trouble in the Delta, I suspect Meryre has a hand in it, whatever he says! In his cups he is silly and clucks like a chicken. But sober, Meryre is as dangerous and as threatening as the rest. What if, Mahu,’ she drew back, ‘Meryre and the Atenists use this usurper to sweep the board clean of all of you, Horemheb, Rameses and the other Children of the Kap? How long do you think little Tutankhamun will survive, or myself?’ She smiled thinly. ‘Though Meryre has ambitions in that quarter: marriage to me when he proclaims himself Pharaoh of Egypt.’
‘No.’ I shook my head in disbelief. ‘I have spies in Eastern and Western Thebes; Sobeck and Djarka sift the gossip like wheat from chaff.’
‘Do you think Meryre is going to tell anyone?’ Ankhesenamun laughed. ‘Do you know the whereabouts of all my father’s treasures?’ She rose and walked across the room, keeping her back to me as she took off the shawl and donned a sleeveless shift. Then, rewrapping the shawl, she came back and sipped from her wine cup.
‘How do you know all this, Highness?’
‘Because Meryre thinks I’m his ally.’
‘And why should he think that?’
‘Because I told him that the Shabtis of Akenhaten are a sect of assassins controlled by you.’
‘What?’ I moved so violently the wine in my cup slopped over. The cheetah scrambled to his feet but Ankhesenamun turned and cooed softly in his direction. The great cat stretched, amber eyes glowing at me, before sprawling back on the floor.
‘Listen to me, listen to me,’ she urged. ‘The Shabtis of Akenhaten
Similar Books
